INDICATIVE STORM BAY ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING PROGRAM SYNOPSIS An indicative broadscale environmental monitoring program (BEMP) and a localised lease-specific monitoring program have been developed by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Planning Authority (PA) in consultation with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and Commonwealth Scientific Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO) to monitor key environmental indicators within and adjacent to marine farming lease areas and throughout Storm Bay, south-east Tasmania. The main objective of the proposed monitoring programs is to provide an understanding of interactions between salmonid farming and the receiving environment. This is to be achieved through monitoring key environmental stressors/indicators at varying temporal and spatial scales to determine the quantum of change from the background environment of the Storm Bay region. Similar environmental monitoring programs have been implemented in other marine farming regions in Tasmania with the overall aim of monitoring the combined effects of multiple salmonid farming operations to better inform management decisions in a whole of ecosystem context. The results of this monitoring program will be used in the ongoing adaptive management framework for salmonid farming in Storm Bay. ADAPTIVE MANGEMENT Marine farming in Tasmania is managed under an adaptive monitoring and management regime. This process allows for adjustment of management framework (based on environmental performance indicators) with the aim of sustainable development. Such decisions require comprehensive environmental monitoring and the establishment of robust datasets to accurately inform regulatory bodies for effective management. This process builds appropriate environmental performance indicators (representative of ecosystem health/condition) to ensure that critical ecosystem signals are observed and acted upon promptly and appropriately through mechanisms developed in the adaptive management framework. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING In general, all types of input-based marine aquaculture in Australia involve some form of environmental monitoring. The extent of structured sampling programs for environmental performance indicators is usually scaled to the expected levels of production. These programs are mostly focused on benthic impacts and water quality in the immediate vicinity of farms. However, this approach does not capture the combined effects of multiple marine farming operations on ecosystem dynamics and therefore overarching environmental changes may not be directly observed. Tasmania is currently one of the only jurisdictions in Australia with a specific requirement for ongoing broadscale monitoring. TASMANIAN BEMP’s The conceptual design of broadscale environmental monitoring for the salmonid industry in Tasmania was first developed by Thompson et al. (2008). The study focused on the connected waterways of the Huon estuary and D’Entrecasteaux channel and developed a broad suite of environmental performance indicators to be monitored across multiple sites. This involved data collection on the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the system and assessment of spatial and temporal patterns of water and sediment quality. The resultant BEMP has now been operating for 9 years. This dataset provides a significant body of information that is used by the regulatory authority, industry and stakeholders to assess ecological condition and to support adaptive management strategies. In addition, the Huon estuary and D’Entrecasteaux BEMP has provided some validation of initial biogeochemical modelling and showed that whilst there was some evidence of farm effects in some areas, the system did appear to be coping with the current level of farming activity. STORM BAY BEMP Similar to other marine farming regions in Tasmania, it is the PA’s intent that a BEMP consistent with requirements of the EPA be established for Storm Bay. The objective of the BEMP will be to provide data to enable key chemical, physical and biological indicators of ecosystem condition to be monitored and the degree of change from background levels of these indicators to be determined to inform adaptive management responses. This will provide a fully integrated environmental monitoring program that spans all Marine Farm Development Plan (MFDP) areas containing licensed finfish marine farming leases in the Storm Bay region. The proposed BEMP will build on existing environmental monitoring arrangements focusing on the key areas of water and sediment quality, and surrounding reef systems across a range of sites throughout and adjacent to Storm Bay. While it is recognised that dissolved nutrient emissions will vary in space and time in relation to production cycles, total emission load, and the seasonal variation in regional hydrodynamics, the proposed annual combined biomass production and associated nutrient output is significant. Therefore, the PA engaged IMAS to undertake nutrient dispersion modelling to estimate the spatial distribution of nutrients from proposed salmonid farming activities in the region. The assessment used CONNIE3 (a decision support tool developed by CSIRO) which integrates hydrodynamic modelling and particle tracking to provide detailed and high resolution nutrient dispersion estimates from proposed salmonid farming activities in Storm Bay. The results indicate that Storm Bay is a highly connected and dynamic waterway and dispersal of dissolved nitrogenous outputs from salmonid farming in this region is likely to be far reaching. Estimates suggest that associated dissolved nutrients may extend east to Tasman Island and southward of Storm Bay. As such, the EPA have determined monitoring sites across and beyond the estimated dispersion range are required to determine the degree of ecosystem condition change attributable to salmonid farming activities. These include broadscale, inshore and deepwater reef monitoring sites (Figure 1). Figure 1: Proposed BEMP monitoring locations for the Storm Bay region and modelled CONNIE3 annualised dispersion output of dissolved nitrogen (ammonium) for surface waters (0-15m depth range) showing the 95th, 80th and 50th percentiles based on an annual 40,000 tonne biomass. Where; B = Broadscale monitoring sites (i.e. water quality and benthic monitoring); I = Inshore reef monitoring sites; # = Deepwater reef monitoring sites. Sites illustrated here do not include Local/Near scale sites for water quality and benthic monitoring. Based on the ANZECC (2000) guidelines the area within the 80th percentile contour (brown contour on Figure 1) are more likely to show an environmental effect when farms are operating at a combined 40,000 tonne biomass. The area below the 50th percentile contour represents the region where there is least likely to be any observable effect and where water quality is most likely to be comparable to background. TYPE OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AT IDENTIFIED SITES In determining (or subsequent review of) the frequency, extent and type of monitoring required, the EPA will consider a range of information, such as the scientific systems and sampling technology relevant to the Storm Bay environment and past monitoring results. Thus, the BEMP may be altered from time to time to ensure that it continues to provide valuable environmental information to support an adaptive management approach to salmonid farming in Storm Bay consistent with the resource management and planning system of Tasmania. On the basis of currently available information, including the assessment of the CONNIE3 dispersion modelling for Storm Bay, the nominated monitoring sites will extend over multiple spatial scales in relation to distance from proposed leases and include; ‘near-scale’ (within and adjacent to proposed marine farming lease areas i.e. Figures 2 and 3), ‘intermediate’ (<5km), and ‘far-field’ (>5km) (i.e. intermediate and far-field sites detailed in Figure 1). Figure 2: Hypothetical finfish marine farming lease area showing location of local/near scale monitoring sites for a) indicative benthic monitoring at baseline and at peak biomass, b) peak biomass/nitrogen output water quality monitoring. Figure 3: Production time line identifying scheduled indicative benthic and water quality monitoring surveys relative to each year class grow out. Each nominated monitoring site is categorised into the following areas of environmental focus including; water quality, benthic condition, inshore/offshore reef impacts, or a combination. Protocols for monitoring water and sediment quality are well established (Thompson et al. 2008) and the frequency/design for the nominated Storm Bay BEMP are detailed in Table 1a, b and Table 2a, b. Table 1: Indicative Storm Bay water quality monitoring program design. a) monitoring parameters b) spatial extent, frequency of monitoring and indicator trigger levels. Refer to Figure 1 for spatial distribution of sampling intermediate and far field sites. a) water quality Parameters monitored Sampling method Sampling depth monitoring Nutrients Nutrients Total Niskin bottle Sampling at surface, 10 metres from the surface and Nitrogen one metre above seabed. Nitrogen Kjeldahl Phosphorus Nutrients Dissolved Ammonia (TAN) Nitrate Nitrite Nitrate + Nitrite Phosphorus (DRP) Silicate (SMR) Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) Water Chemistry Dissolved Oxygen [saturation + Sonde profiler To be collected at two scales depending on proximity mg/L] to lease; temperature Local/Near scale – surface, every